“Big Money”Petition

See media release October 22, 2013, when CityHallWatch submitted signatures collected to date for this petition.

TEXT OF PETITION

We, the undersigned residents and voters of Vancouver [of British Columbia, for province-wide version], petition the Government of British Columbia to help combat actual and potential conflicts of interest in civic governance by acting promptly to:

1. prohibit donations to municipal political parties or candidates from corporations and unions;
2. permit only Canadian citizens or permanent residents to contribute;
3. place appropriate limits on personal donations and require continuous and transparent disclosure of donations above a modest threshold;
4. place appropriate limits on campaign spending; and
5. establish clear and enforceable regulations to prevent funneling of donations through third parties or other circumventions of these reforms.

MEDIA RELEASE
(Vancouver , May 13, 2013) With a letter to leaders of the four main parties in the May 14 provincial election, CityHallWatch today launched a petition for municipal election campaign finance reform, entitled “Get Big Money Out of Civic Politics!” CityHallWatch calls upon all civic electoral organizations to take up these reforms voluntarily, and invites individuals, as well as electoral and non-electoral civic groups, to endorse the petition. [Click here to see petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bc-civic-campaign-finance-reform/]

The public recognizes the need to reduce the influence of money in politics at every level of government. Politicians and parties have given lip service to election finance reforms at the civic level, but meaningful action has been lacking. This petition gives members of the public an opportunity to demand positive change. The text of the petition is as follows:

“Get Big Money out of Civic Politics!” Petition for Municipal Election Campaign Finance Reform
We, the undersigned residents and voters of Vancouver [of British Columbia, for province-wide version], petition the Government of British Columbia to help combat actual and potential conflicts of interest in civic governance by acting promptly to:
1. prohibit donations to municipal political parties or candidates from corporations and unions;
2. permit only Canadian citizens or permanent residents to contribute;
3. place appropriate limits on personal donations and require continuous and transparent disclosure of donations above a modest threshold;
4. place appropriate limits on campaign spending; and
5. establish clear and enforceable regulations to prevent funneling of donations through third parties or other circumventions of these reforms.
Online: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bc-civic-campaign-finance-reform

This is a non-partisan petition, expected to grow in Vancouver and province-wide. Endorsements have already been received from three civic electoral organizations. Ned Jacobs, a steering committee member of Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver (NSV), said, “Civic campaign finance reform was a central plank of our initial election effort in 2011. Political funding is a core issue affecting civic decision-making. If this petition is successful in bringing about meaningful reforms we will begin to see decisions at City Hall that are more respectful of our communities, with improved livability and affordability.”

Tim Louis, Internal Co-Chair, Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), said “The reform of campaign contributions worked well at the federal level. It’s time to apply this at the municipal level.”

Adriane Carr, a City Councillor with the Vancouver Greens, said, “Electoral finance reform to reduce the influence of the development industry and other special interests is long overdue. The Green Party of Vancouver has voluntarily placed strict controls on donations to prevent conflicts of interest, but these need to be enshrined and enforced in law to put all parties and candidates on a level playing field.”

CityHallWatch.ca provides tools for citizens in Vancouver to better understand and engage City Hall.